Your Fountain Pens In Five Years Time

[7is]

Can you imagine which of your pens may still be in use or rotation in five years time? What may be like your relation with fountain pens in general in the future? What is it like now? Is it likely to change or evolve significantly? A bigger or more defined collection or just a few selected pens you may fall in love with on your way? I hope you don't mind me asking.

[senzen]

I am finally happy with my 25 pen collection, since all inks look like I thought they could, so I imagine myself using it daily; only Asa Gao had to leave its Pelikan 600 in favor of Hisoku, looks a little dark in a Pilot Metropolitan but that might be resolved one of these days with another Pelikan, which might turn out to be an m100. And I'm really happy with my three Pelikans, I always wanted a solid blue one but if I do get one last pen, it would probably be a Waterman Carène.

[Bo Bo Olson]

One or two semi-flex '50's Pelikans 400's more than likely oblique. One or two 200's....a M and an EF. The superflex 100n.

Geha 790 EF maxi-semi-flex.

725 Geha....my bought new P-75.

 

On, second thought....these will be for sale.... Osmia in both the maxi-semi-flex Supra and regular regular flex. The OB & OBB's last to be sold. Keep the fanciest one...a BCHR 76 for last.

 

Everything else will be gone....... should be down to 10-15 inks too.

Once one is over 70 one should start slowing down....once one is over 75....check the break pads.

 

What ten pens will be left? Don't quite know.....but the MB Woolf won't make the cut.....I can make some good money on that.....as long as I can hold out until the Next Depression is over................which might well be in 5 years.

 

Perhaps I should sell it now.....hate to have a '30's style Great Depression of 10 or more years.

At 70 I don't feel the years I will at 80. Expect 75 to be much like 70....with luck.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[FPFan]

My fountain pen rotation will only be changed by the addition of the new pens I acquire in that time frame. I try to keep all my pens in a state of consistantly rotation. I have fp's in the hundreds and each one gets used at least once a year or more, with the exc e.g. option of some of my older vintage pens. Now as I have retired, I still acquire new pens. Both new and use. Although I have limited my purchases to primarily Pelikans, as they have become my all time favorite pens. Although, if something else that may spark my interest I will attempt to acquire it. More often than not getting my hands on it! But I've been collecting and using pens since the mid-sixties when I was a teen! My habit has p

[FPFan]

progressed to be much more sophisticated as time has past. Progressing from $4.00 school pens such as Sheaffer's and Parker's bought at Ben Franklin's 5 and dime stores to art stores finally finding office supply stores offerings. But it wasn't until I landed in biggest cities than the farming community I grew up in to big cities I was stationed at once I entered the military. It wasn't until the early 90's when I found my very first dedicated FOUNTAIN PEN SHOP in a Chicago mall. It's all been down hill or up hill, which ever way one views it!

 

But never fear I'M TOTALLY HOOKED! My newest is the Blue m120 new reproduction model I'm over joyed/thrilled with it and Levengers Cobalt Blue ink to make a fantastic pairing!

[PAKMAN]

I will continue to sell less exciting cheaper pens and acquire nicer pens as time goes on.

[mana]

More 100N, 101N & 400/N/NN. I just had a look back at my last ten years with Pelikans and it seems that I have charted out fairly well what I want to achieve in the years to come. More of the same but better, also, hunting down the more rare nibs and variants.

I know it will get more pricey (very pricey at the extreme end) and challenging as this is an arena with plenty of experienced and more well to do people after exactly the things that I am after for but it is not a deterrent for me, nay, instead, a challenge to do better. There are also the happy moments when you actually get to be the sumgai of the day. Those are nice too.

That said, I am perfectly happy with the three EDC Pelikans in my possession as users. The collecting and appreciation bits... much room for improvement there collection wise.

So the hunt continues.

[Barutti]

From today perspective the 100/100N and M800 will be my core fountain pens for future. I really enjoying them as rotation pens and part of my small collection.

100 series pelikans for sure will be in collection with many rare .. and expensive pieces to add.

400 series.. I don't know. Their are still like "black horse" for me.. perfectly made, nice nibs, huge variety, but I can't admit them.

So, I will be with pens in close contact:) but part of collection will be updated.

 

Giedrius

[DrDebG]

After doing this for a number of years, I think I have finally figured out what I like. Like Pakman, I am selling off the pens that just don't excite me anymore. They are nice writers, but just not great writers for me. BUT they could be great writers for someone else. I love to spread the love around.

 

There are some other pens that I would like to get, but I am not chasing every pen that someone here says is the "latest, greatest" any longer. So when a new pen is announced that might be something I am interested in, I am taking my time - months - before acquiring it. And in the meantime, I am constantly evaluating what I have.

 

Now, ink is another matter. I am not buying ink that I know that I won't use that much or be happy with. I don't use a lot of black ink. The one bottle I have is sufficient. I also don't stockpile ink, even limited editions. If the favorite color is discontinued, that just gives me an excuse for find a doppelganger. If one can't be found, then it is time to find another favorite color.

 

Perhaps to sum this all up, I would rather have a smaller number of pens that I really like (and ink as well), then a whole horde of boring pens and ink.

[inkstainedruth]

Well, hopefully by then I'll have gotten most of the non-working pens repaired. And in the case of the Esterbrooks, decided what nibs are worth keeping and start paring down the stash (at this point I'm still trying to find a couple of the really exotic and pricy nibs for a price that somewhat reasonably affordable without having to be in hock up to my eyeballs).

There are pens I would like to buy, but either the price is too high for me to justify the expense at the moment, or they're just plain not easily available. Or both. (It's so weird to me that it's already February, and so far I haven't bought anything, and only acquired one pen -- a gift from a friend that I haven't been able to get a converter for yet -- in nearly 2 months.)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[mirosc]

same here: I keep my beloved ones and might try to sell the lesser loved ones.

But the urge to buy new pens definitely has diminished, maybe one in a year. Still I keep looking out for the odd chance to find a bargain pen. (OMAS Burkina for around 300,- would be great )

Edited February 5, 2019 by mirosc

[SpecTP]

Can you imagine which of your pens may still be in use or rotation in five years time? What may be like your relation with fountain pens in general in the future? What is it like now? Is it likely to change or evolve significantly? A bigger or more defined collection or just a few selected pens you may fall in love with on your way? I hope you don't mind me asking.

 

Well it's been 4+ years and I'm still using my EDC: Conid Kingsize Bulkfiller -2yrs, Pilot VP -3yrs, Waterman Carene -4yrs, MB 34 -4yrs, MB149 -4yrs

 

Recent to my EDC rotation is MB14, Pelikan 400nn, Pelikan 205

[Kalessin]

With Pelikans, I will only be adding to my small flock, and what I have pretty well covers what I need: M600/K600 dark blue transparent with BB nib, M620/K620 Berlin with an OB, M400/K400/D400 tortoise with M nib.

 

With MB, I won't be getting rid of the few that I have, and might get more: 149 F, 32S OB, Slimline M, and I will someday find a replacement barrel for a 234 1/2 with a lovely flex F-BB nib

 

With Parker, I will keep my two 75's with B and XBB-Executive nibs, and a 45 with M nib, and maybe add some more

 

I'm terrible at selling any pens. Or any inks.

[Bo Bo Olson]

From today perspective the 100/100N and M800 will be my core fountain pens for future. I really enjoying them as rotation pens and part of my small collection.

100 series pelikans for sure will be in collection with many rare .. and expensive pieces to add.

400 series.. I don't know. Their are still like "black horse" for me.. perfectly made, nice nibs, huge variety, but I can't admit them.

So, I will be with pens in close contact:) but part of collection will be updated.

 

Giedrius

Try the semi-flex '50-65 era ones. The Oblique from that era .

[ygv]

Hopefully i will keep my interest in pens, enhance my MB collection and - why not - introduce myself to some other great brands. I will happily accept suggestions.

[Strangebird]

I only got two Pelikans at this moment, so the flock can only get bigger. But I can't imagine that I will have a big collection of fountain pens in five years time. Maybe three or four more, but that will be it (yes, I know, I know... ) I like Pelikans very much, but I just don't have to have a box full of them to enjoy these pens. Even if I had a pocket full of cash, right now I would only be interested in two or three other Pelikan models.

I also can't imagine not using fountain pens in five years time, because writing with these pens gives me so much pleasure.

 

Marc

 

[A Smug Dill]

Hmmm, is the question/thread specifically about my collection of Pelikan pens and/or relationship with Pelikan as a brand in five years' time, or more general across brands (and countries of origin)?

Pelikan has yet to convince me that it's at least as good, if not better, than Aurora but at a lower price. From what I've read, Pelikan nibs as produced in the factory are in no subjective way better than Aurora; the line widths are 'wrong' or at least inconsistent for the marked nib grades (specifically for EF and F nibs), and uncontrollably wet is not a good thing in my book. Smooth writing with feedback to allow precise control by the user is preferable any day to 'buttery smooth' gliding uncontrollably outside the boundaries of a 5mm square. So far I only have one Pelikan (M600 Vibrant Orange) with a nib worked on by Dan Smith, and I love writing with it, but that's in a sense no thanks to Pelikan. As for the piston mechanism, firstly I don't prefer piston-fillers to c/c-filled fountain pens, even if I can resist seeing the former as 'worse', and secondly I think the piston-fill mechanism in my Aurora 88 is smoother. (I have two more Aurora piston-fillers coming soon, so I'll have more data points from which to draw my conclusion soon.) As for the materials, I haven't seen an Aurora O'Sole Mio in person to compare it against the M600 Vibrant Orange, but I'm happy to assume they're on par; on the other hand, the Pelikan special editions (especially the striped designs) don't attract me as much as the Optima 365, Aurora 888, or even the Optima Nero Perla or other 'standard' aurolide designs.

So, in five years, I imagine I will have:

• a few more Aurora pens, primarily in the 88 and Optima lines
• one or two more limited edition Pelikan M60x and/or M80x pens, bought from Dan Smith (Nibsmith.com) or Pablo Carrasco (FPnibs.com) when they're on run-out special, when I can be assured the 'cheaper' cousin among well-regarded European pens will still come with 'usable' nibs for me
• fewer Japanese pens, having given away some of the pens I find I don't really like all that much, e.g. Pilot Custom 74 pens with SF and Music nibs, possibly the Platinum #3776 Century pens with 'standard' PMMA resin bodies (as opposed to, say, the kanazawa-haku) ones
• more Delike and Moonman pens as inked-and-ready tools for funky ink colours

[praxim]

Five years ago I had no idea I would now have and enjoy my present broad range of pens, including Pelikans. In five years, things will be different. It will be interesting to see,

 

with the caveat that I not be dead yet in which case it won't.

[DrCodfish]

Looking back is for me a reasonable way of predicting the future. I am much more discerning in what I am willing to buy now. My tastes run more to vintage pens now, particularly in Pelikans. And the average cost of the pens I buy now is MUCH higher than it was 5 years ago. Fewer, more expensive pens in 5 years most likely.

[Calabria]

I'm in the process of reconsidering my fountain pen hobby, and it's unclear to me at this point what exactly I value going forward. I have about 100 pens - I've focused on OMAS, Aurora, Lamy, Sailor, Pelikan. I have one MB 146 and one Waterman LeMan Opera, and two Pilot 823s. My thoughts are:

- I don't really need another pen, just rotating what I have could keep me busy for awhile - for example, I hardly have used my red M800, so it should be fun to get around to that. Prices have really increased, too, and I can't justify spending 500$ on a pen of which I already have a version or more.

- I'm not selling pens, either - each pen I have has a story attached to it.

- So what do I want? I'm going to the LA pen show next week and have been thinking about that. Last year, I found a Lamy Edition 2000 which for sentimental reasons was important to me. But now? I'm always looking for nibs; I like some new models, the red Lamy Aion is probably on my list just for kicks. I'm not that much into inks; I like the standard colors like MB Royal Blue.

- In summary, I feel done collecting, unless I find something that surprises me, is a good value, or offers a superior writing experience. My last purchase, btw., was a Pilot 823 smoke on sale from Nibsmith, with a custom nib grind. That offered all of the above.